Whether or not CyanogenMod is your favorite ROM, it is by far and away the most popular Android ROM. With a new company and funding, Cyanogen has big plans to bring ROMing to the mainstream. In order to do that, they need to secure some of the best talent in the ROM community. If you can grab someone from one of your best competitors, that never hurts.

That is exactly what Cyanogen just did. They grabbed Android Open Kang Project (AOKP) founder, Roman Birg. AOKP might not be as popular as CyanogenMod, but they built up a pretty loyal following over the last couple of years. Congratulations Roman, I am sure you will be a great addition to the Cyanogen team.

Although not fully featured or completely stable, both Paranoid Android and AOKP have released their first builds of Android 4.4 KitKat for supported devices. Hit the break for the full details on each.

The AOKP developers have released a new version of their Jelly Bean 4.2 work. This latest release includes support for the Acer Iconia Tab A510, T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S II, and the international version of the Samsung Galaxy Note II. The build originally included support for the international version of the Samsung Galaxy S II, both the Exynos and OMAP versions, but those have been temporarily pulled. AOKP indicates they should have new builds for those devices available on February 12th.

This latest version includes several new features like a UI mode selector with options for phone, “phablet” and tablet and transparency control for all UI elements. The UI can now support dual panel at any DPI setting and the Car Home function is back. AOKP has re-introduced a quick unlock feature on the lock screen so the Enter key does not have to be tapped once you enter a PIN or password. For minimalists out there, a hidden NavBar option is now available. The Statusbar now has a LastApp toggle.

If you are interested in trying out AOKP, hit the source link for more information on how to grab it.

Are you one of the few that were lucky enough to nab the elusive Nexus 4 by Google? If you do possess Android’s hard to attain device and are into modding/rooting, then finding the perfect ROM can be hard, and maybe even overwhelming at times. RasBean Jelly is a custom AOSP ROM made by the developer Rascarlo and has been around since the Galaxy Nexus days when it was called Rascream (back when Ice Cream Sandwich was the latest ROM). If you’re an avid ROM flasher, then you’re well aware that a handful of the ones you flash tend to have bugs and other problems that you’ll frequently encounter. While that’s expected, that’s one thing that I don’t particularly enjoy about flashing custom ROM’s.

With RasBean, I have never encountered a bug or any problems in any build that I’ve tried, even in my ICS Galaxy Nexus days. RasBean is an AOSP based ROM that’s dedicated to speed and overall stability. While Rascarlo does include several additional features to the ROM, he makes sure to clean the ROM of necessary codes and “bloat.” Thus, if you’re a huge CM or AOKP fan, then this ROM may not be for you as it doesn’t have the dozens upon dozens of added features that those two ROM’s tend to have. But if you’re looking for a super fast ROM with no bugs, then RBJ just might be for you! Hit the break to find out more.

AOKP, one of the more popular aftermarket Android ROMs available, finally released a few stable builds for Nexus devices, labeled MR1. And, despite having to start over from scratch with the 4.2 code, most older features have ported forward. There’s a ton of stability improvements and customization options on top of Google’s feature-filled flavor of Jelly Bean.

If you’ve got a Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, or Nexus 7, hit the source below to get your hands on the ROM. The Galaxy S III and Note II are expected to be in the next release, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Nexus 10 show up as well. Flash away!

The AOKP team has just released the third build for its highly popular aftermarket firmware. Based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the software features some incredibly powerful additions not found in AOSP. Currently builds are available for some of the most popular devices, including the Crespo4G, i9100, i9100g, i9300, and Toroplus. Due to lack of maintainers, Wingray and Stingray devices have been given the axe, and will no longer be supported. However, if you don’t fall into that category and are anxious to get your device onto the latest build, hit the download link below.

So you own a Nexus 7 tablet and want to get in on some Android Open Kang Project action? You’re in luck as the latest Jelly Bean-based AOKP is now available for all, courtesy of the official AOKP nightlies that have recently been rolled out. Along with the usual Jelly Bean goodies, users will be treated to such features like custom lockscreen targets and the option for 7 navigation buttons. AOKP is one of the more popular ROMs available and the latest build aims to make your Nexus 7 just a little bit better.

We’re sure you’re itching for more details, so be sure to hit the XDA threat to see everything in its entirety, including full instructions on how to slap the latest ROM onto the Nexus 7.

CyanogenMod (CM) and the Android Open Kang Project (AOKP) are the two most feature filled ROM’s that you can find in the custom ROM world. With CM10 Nightlies having been released just a couple of days ago, it was only natural for the AOKP team to follow suit and release their first official build of Jelly Bean AOKP. There’s far too many features that AOKP provides to list them all, but here’s the popular ones that you can expect:

Verizon’s locked bootloader on their Galaxy S III hasn’t stopped development at all to this point. Two unofficial ports of AOKP and CyanogenMod 10 popped up, with each either being as close to fully working as can be or with a couple of minor bugs that are currently being worked on.

AOKP Milestone 6 appears to be ready for release and a daily driver without any known bugs so far. CM10 is currently still being referred to as an “alpha”, however, data and all the other most important core features are working. You may just want to look into either one of these, especially CM10 as they always do a outstanding job and go beyond the call of duty.

One of the most coveted things about CyanogenMod 7 was the ability to customize the heck out of the ROM. This included the much loved Theme Manager which until now was absent from the CM 9 Nightly builds. So once again users of this ROM will be able to change colors of just about everything. However rather than have it in a Theme Chooser app it’s now in a place that makes much more sense: the Settings Menu. Lockscreen shortcuts have been added as well so you can access your favorite apps straight from the lockscreen.

If you’re on another ROM and feel that you are missing out, worry not. One of the developers of AOKP made it known via Twitter last night that their ROM will be seeing theme manager support here soon. You can always check the CM 9 Nightly page to see if your device is supported and if it is enjoy theming it until your heart’s content. As if that wasn’t enough we also have a video of said theming in action after the break. Enjoy!